Affordable three cylinder A2 bikes?

[Bishbosh1999]

Hallo all, not exactly a new rider but been absent in this forum since I had to sell my 125 to buy a car.
At uni now and currently in the process of getting my a2 to make getting around London easier.

I absolutely adore three cylinder bikes but as far as I can tell the only A2 legal one is the A2 edition of the triumph street triple.

Any ideas on other that are legal?

Also have an ongoing internal argument on whether to go faired (practicality and comfort) or naked cause they look so damn good!

Any and all advice is very much appreciated.


Extra note: will be doing a fair bit of travelling to see other mates at uni hence the emphasis on the faired argument.
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Rieju MRT (50cc) (sold) - Yamaha WR125R

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Teflon-Mike]

A2 complient, or aA2 restrictable?
And I am guessing there's a Trumpet thing going on here.....
I can think of many three cylinder bikes, instantly springing to mind is the Kawasaki Samuri, two smoke tripple of the early 70's... which is probably instantly disqualified on the 'affordable' score, as I suppose would be a Laverda Jota.....
Probably the LEAST loved 'tripple', if not least loved BMW, if not least loved motorbike, full-stop... and one I would urge an eye at if on baked bean student loan budget; is the BMW K75......
OTMH, it made 75bhp as stock, so isn't native A2 eligible but should be easily restrictable. I also seem to recall that they are rather easy on insurance premiums. B-U-T the main selling point is that they are very very chep and value for money bikes... boring, maybe... b-u-t, on that baked bean budget, its a lot of bike for your dosh, and very useful commuter/tourer for getting to and from campus and heading off weekends to see mates, especially if you find one with the touring pack of barn door fairing and paniers.....
Getting on a bit, and good odds any about now will have been ridden into the ground as every-day hacks, or left derelict at the bottom of gardens, and they dont like neglect; and hauling one out of maintence overdraft may be a bit pricey compared to buy cost, cos they were never the cheapest bikes to get serviced.. b-u-t.....
As out-field suggestion, there's a lot that could be said for one.... just dont expect it to make a Jota howl sort of noise... more a mute VFR whine! But you can't have everything.....
Here and now, though, 'what bike' is rather premature... you need that A2 licence first... after £1000's worth of DAS, what's left in the pot, and ahat contingency is in that pot for potential re-takes?
In for a penny-in-for a pound starts to rear it's head, and back to that 'affordable' question, and after spending all that dosh to get a licence to let you ride a bigger bike, that basically begs bigger money all-ways-round.... IF what you really want is a Stripple..... bend over for the bank-manager and get a Stripple.... it's onlee money, and you onlee live once....
Though I have to say... when I was a student many decades ago, I had a 125, even after I got a full licence, 'cos cheap, and it didn't stop me loading it to the gunnels to go 200 miles for a party or whatever.... and a good 125 can be as fast as any bike is legally allowed to go on this country's roads, so you aren't missing much apart from the speeding tickets.... and you can still get plenty of them if you try hard enough... So its cutting cloth really... what can you afford, and just hoe sadistic is that bank-manager....
Thought for you.... I studied Mechanical Engineering, so the course was peopled by petrol-heads, and there was a goodly few bikers in the bunch.... ISTR that there was one with a VF500, another with a mutant Bonneville powered Husquavana, a CR250 Super-Retard, and even a bevel drive Ducati, making the GS550 look rather 'sensible' in comparison... there were a few more and a silver Suzuki GSX400 comes to mind, as does a very new Yamaha XJ900... B-U-T.... point IS that they were seldom all seen in the bike-shed at the same time... what WAS seen in the bike shed was perhaps two or three drowned-rats having a fag, listening to another in slightly cleaner and dryer torn jeans, explain the 'problem' that lead to thier cylinder head being in a large number of pieced in some-one elses digs kitchen, and wondering of the Lab-Tech would let them put it in the equipment store for a bit.... and maybe help them put it back together.. there was usually a 'Special tool' they needed but couldn't get.... B-U-T thing was that out of a dozen or more student bikers, the only one that was seen every day, was actually a Honda CB125 Single.... 'cos IT's owner wasn't spending big money on the badge and bragging rights.... to be stuck in the shed making excuses about what they COULDN'T afford... he had a bike he could afford and afford to go places on, not stand outside the Dyno room, making excuses for why he couldn't.... which was much like my situation with a 125, except my excuse was that the dang thing had been nicked... again... and again! Mind you, I did go to Coventry, and my digs were just the other side of the common from Bell Green... where they had the riots!
But there you go... old biker addage says 3rd class biking beats first class walking any day of the week.... so makes your choices and pays your money....
Whats most important? Bike? or Budget? You decide.... but check out them K75's... its a heck of a lot of 'sensible' for not a lot of money; after that, how much your un-sensible going to cost, and is it VFM at the end of the day, compared to other student spend, like BEER!!!?
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[redeem ouzzer]

[Easy-X]

I'd still like to know the "why" of 3-cylinder...

Surely "the joy of a 3-way" is when it's unrestricted
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Polarbear]

Just get any A2 bike until you are old enough or pass the right test (I have no idea on the rules now ) and then buy a Stripple or whatever you want with no restrictions.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Bishbosh1999]

[Bishbosh1999]

[Teflon-Mike]

You know. they 'invented' the (UK) Student Loan, in my 1st year at uni.... there were protest marches organised in the SU building about it! I think that that 'loan' when it came on stream, mine actually got used to pay the HP on my Kawasaki AR125.. A-N-D co-incidentally, I have STILL (after thirty years") not paid the thing off!!!
Mechanical engineering IS NOT the best paid of professions.. you have been warned.... And 'manufacturing, in the ~UK seems particularly dead! (I spent most of my working career in electronics factories, trying to tell dumm leccies they could NOT use statistical tolerating.. and then having to explain what tolerating was, and have arguments over the fact that the 'enclosure' was NOT 'just' a box and no you cant just go get one from Radio Spares! But still.. more warning....

Say it often enough... what do you want? TOY or TRANSPORT?

You are young, and life is long, there's plenty of time for 'Toys'.. especially with a degree and hopefully a graduate salary in your pocket. Then you needn't compromise and make a camel of a compromise from the deal, trying to get toy on the back of transport, you could get dedicated toy 'just' to go have fun with; whether that's drag racing, track-time or getting muddy, up to you you DON'T have to have it all right here right now on the public road.

If I was in your shoes or trying to help one of my kids, and my daughter graduates this coming September, I think... I would be looking at young person rail-cards, 'give away' ER5s and old Volvo Estate cars or Bedford Rascal vans.. 'cos 'practical' and cheap. I would be advising bikes be expensive, and impractical, and generally being a miserable old git... 'cos I come from a long line of them, so why should ,my kids or any-one elses get away with it.... and back to toy or transport...

Sat in the back yard is a gaggle of 125 Super-Dreams, and one is 3/4 restored from when Daughter was planning Uni, before she discovered 'boys' and that not only did THEY have much more practical, cars, they also footed the bills, not just for the cars! B-U-Y a genuine` 70mphg machine, its as fast as anything else is allowed to go in this country, and even though 125's command a premium on the insurance, they are usually pretty cheap to run, and get you about and pretgty much as fast and uncomfortably as anything else, and with a little engine-you-ity, and enough bungees as much 'stuff' as you ever really need. So that Puper dream, would maybe get finished... alternatively, another 1254 would be procured.

As for bigger bikes..... well, toy or transport? An ER5 would figure highly cos they is so cheapo, and practical, if humdrum boring.... but that be the dilemma... you want transport you live with the 'boring' you want fun... go to Alton Towers.. or pay the privce, or cry aout it into in that beer.. did I say I come from a long line of miserable old gits?

SO.... either you get yourself intro hock, possibly for the rest of your life.... which I have to say, these days is probably hard to avoid, and an adage I was offered at 21... owe the bank a pound they own you, owe the bank a million pounds... you on the bank.... which my or mkay not be particularly apt or helpful but still.... you either get with the corporate program and sell your soul to the shylocks.... on the badis its probably inevitable.. and just fess up to that 'Dream' stripple.. or you try and keep out their clutches, which probably means giving up on ANY notion of personal motorised transport and catching that bus, and / or waiting it out until you have that grad salary in your pocket and can do bikes just for fun, and you probably have a company car, so your wet weathers aren't dripping on the desk.. your call... but that's my advice. If nothing else will do, do it. Find a way.. that's engineering.... else wise makes your compromises.. that too is engineering.... so what gives or what is most easily given up on the wish-list?

B-U-T the imperative right now, is STILL that its irrelevant until you have a licence to ride ANYTHING... get your ducks in a row, and don't burn your bridges until they are close enough to put a match to!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[WD Forte]

The K75 wasnt a bad bike, but its getting on a bit now and you will probably have age related issues with one.
The ABS was often a PITA with many 10 years ago when I knew a few guys with them
Parts will probably still be available from Motobins, Moto works, James Sherlock etc but I
doubt they'll be cheap.
Very smooth engine compared to the K100s which will probably last well but as is often the case
its the ancilliary stuff that starts to fail/drop off.
If I went to see one I'd check the ABS function,the front discs, the drive shaft splines at the final drive end and the clutch mechanism for starters.
I'd also check for leaks at the front where the oil and water pumps share a common shaft
If it's a sod to start when its hot, the Hall effect ignition pulsers are probably breaking down.
The exhaust studs underneath can rot like buggery too.
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bikers smell of wee